Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-30
rHow FIRST PUBLIsHEDl
loves LABOUR WON /.
AN EVENTFUL STOkY.
BYJAMESG GRANT,
auruoR OF 1.-THE ROMANCE OF WAR;" "THE
BLACK WATCH" "FAIRER THAN
FAIRY" ETC., ETC.
TNow FIRST PUBLIsHED1
rThe Right of Translation 4. Reserved.
AN EvENTFUL sTok Z.

rThe Right OF Translation Is Reserved
CHAPTER xLIX,-TRE wANDERER.
Crossing the open space, which h
knew to be d field, he vaulted over Low
boundary well, followed closely by hi!
dog, now barking wildly and joyously
with full sense OF freedom, and found
himself In roadwsy which led OF righ
cared, so that in either direction he go
away from his present perileus locality, I
CHANGING it, he hurried on little tc
the left, and then with q caution beyond
his years, paused and listened intentlY to
learn whether his escape had been dis.
covered or if he was followed. Not 8
sound-not football broke the silence
that reigned around him. He looked
sharply about also, but TO enc was to be
seen; so Dick trod on,or ran rather, until
he became breathless.
- The whole of the pastfew hours seemed
kind of nightmare TO Dick-a night
are with only one sympathetic figure in
it, that of the kindly sergeant, who he
hoped might not get into sscrape through
his disappearance, as Dicks ideas Of
military law were very cloudy; but he
felt high exultation at the idea of ba filing
Mr.. Pugwash, and also of eluding forever
Corporal Cutters, whose visits to the
Constable's room he never doubted he'd
direct reference to getting Bingo into his
hands, for sale or some other nefarious
purpose.
story OF his adventures he would
'oioo tell Melanie and Reggie.
freqwhen should he see either again?
started to his eyes at this refiec-
e would not return to his uncle's
seem perhaps to find there warrant for
est, issued by the tyrsnnicaI Pug
-'''sne for Dick had a shrewd, but IN
,l~arednt suspicion, that by his fight,
after taking the enigmaticel shilling OF
which he had hesrd go much, he was
somewhat of deserter.
Anyway, he would return that coin, or
the value thereof, to Sergeant Hawksley,
il he could; and then, he thought, the
compact would be ended.
Past houses and homes, the windows
Of which were closed and dark. and the
inmates OF which were sunk in sleep,
Dick walked on-be knew not whittier
He felt cold-miserably so-and sill the
more when the hours approached morn
ing. He knew not how many miles he
had traversed, and supposed they must
be many; yet he had not placed very
great distance between himself and Wood
stock after all, as it eventually proved,
Tor after passing mile or SO beyond
Charlbury, q little market town, he got
into network of lonely lanes that led
him partially back in the direction he had
come from. High in the sky rode the
queen OF night, "weding," as Scott de-
scribes it, through fleecY clouds, peeriDg
down apparently at the lonely wayfarer,
between the bare, black hedge-rows of
the deep old English lanes, and flooding
all the long white fields and quaint little
paddocks with silver.
He discovered an empty attle-shed in
the. sheltered corner of paddock and
crept therein for warmth and to escape
the biting wind, which had now become
keen and frosty, to add to his misery and
enhance the conviction that all the ro-
nance of which he once had fancied him
self the hero had evsporated.
No brilliant or rGcy adventure had
come to Dick, which, after all he hs
read of the wild peril and daring faced by
youthful heroes, was rather disgusting TO
boy of pluck and spirit; and his teeth
Chartered as he sunk among quantity of
cry straw in corner end, being well
nigh worn out, dropped into an uneasy
slumber.
When he ewoke the sun was shining
brightly in blue and unclouded sky and
frosty rime covered all the landscape.
There had been slight fall of snow In
the night and amid it the little footprints
of the robin and the deeper Indictments
OF the long-eared hare were visible to the
practised eye Of Dick as he came forth,
shiyering and reluctantly, without wrap
per or overcoat, and betook him again to
the highway that was to lead him he
knew not where.
To cultivate little warmth, he at
tempted to run; but his steps were stag
gering and uncertain now. Anon he
passed little pond by the wsyside. It
WAS overshadewed by some pollard will
lows-those hideous features in the Dutch
and English landscape-but upon il was
group of children belonging to an ada
cent farm, sliding TO and fro, happy, Joy
Gus, full of frolic and life, with noise,
laughter and appie-red cheeks; and paus
ing for minute or two, Dick watched
them wistfully, enviously.
Suddenly there was a mingled ye!l of
terror-the ice, which was slight and
thin, cracked from end to end. little
girl fell in, and the rest fed with cries of
terror and dismay, leaving her to her fate.
Amid the broken ice, the child rose and
sank sgain while the shrieks of womSn
were hesrd:
sob, my child-my poor child-she is
under the ice now, and II cannot
swimi''
"But CAM" cried Dick; Sand I'll save
her too"
Without the hesitation of q moment he
went headloDg into the chssm-for the
pond was deep-and the woman contin-
ned TO shrek and sbudder and wiring her
hands, IS she saw Dick. struggling amid
the broken ice and whirling water, grasp,
once, twice and thrice, dark object i
low the surface, and then rise with his
face cut by sharp fragment; but after q
third attempt he got the little girl to
land and placed her, voiceless and all but
senseless with cold and terror. in the
arms Of her mother, who, in the mental
agony of the moment, forgot to give the |
preserver q word OF thanks, but rolled her |
apron round the dripping, rescued child |
and bore her OF towards the house.
Drenched, the icy water pouring from |
MS clothes, more cold and more miser- |
able than ever, chilled to the very mar
row OF his bones, the unfortunate Dick i
Talbot looked wistfully, helplessly and |
hopelessly after her.
de was about to follow, and in the |
4k~A -